Kisses of a Goth
by VioletStrike
Summary: You have two choices: You can serve me for eternity, with your friend as your performing partner...or you watch me kill her. It's your choice. But either way, great consequences await you. So...what will it be? Summary inside. DxS DxV Chapter Five up
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey everyone! Ok, I know I told you all that I wasn't going to start another story until I finished "The Ultimate Consequence" and its sequel, but this came to me the other day and it's been bouncing around in my head, driving me mad! So I decided, "Enough's enough! I'm going to post it!" And so….well, here we are. Hee hee. Anyway, I'm going to keep going with "The Ultimate Consequence" (don't know when I'm going to update, so don't ask.) And then I'm going to start writing the sequel, "The Ultimate Aftermath". After that, I'm going to start writing my trilogy (which, I might add has no connection to any of my other fics, including this one, "The Ultimate Consequence", "The Ultimate Aftermath", or any of my oneshots. You'll see why at the end of this one.) And after that….well….whatever comes to mind, I suppose. Hee hee. Anyway, I couldn't really fit my entire summary into the summary thing, so the full one is below this and above Chapter One. So enjoy!**

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary: Danny is clueless. So clueless, that not only does he not know that his best friend is in love with him, he doesn't even know _he_ is in love with her, too. He's too busy with Valerie to notice his feelings, let alone Sam's. One night, Danny misses a poetry slam he promised Sam he'd be at. She gets mad at him and goes missing. Danny finds out that Freakshow has been bailed out of jail, all charges against him dropped, and he's running Circus Gothica once again. Danny checks out the show and it turns out, the Circus has a new act: Sam. She is under Freakshow's control, more-so than Danny was. When Danny is captured, Freakshow gives him an option: either have Sam destroyed or work for Freakshow and his circus for eternity…as Sam's partner. Now, the two are partners for the circus's act and Sam is becoming more and more….appealing to Danny with every passing minute. But is that Freakshow's intention? And if so, why does he want Danny to fall in love with Sam? And how will Tucker and Valerie save the two?

**(AN: Wow! That was a long speech! Lol. Ok, on with the show!!!!!!!!!!)**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"**Kisses of a Goth"**

**By; PhantomPhorever16**

**Chapter One**

"Danny…Danny…Dude!" Danny heard vaguely in the back of his mind. He was in the middle of biology class and lost in thought. Thoughts about Valerie, the girl he wanted more than anything in the world at the moment. He didn't know what it was about her. Well, he could guess. He wanted her so bad because he knew he couldn't have her. Teenage boys always wanted what they couldn't have. Why should he be any different?

She wasn't bad looking, either. She was one of the more attractive girls he had come across. And she was also nice, understanding, and friendly.

At least, when she wasn't trying to kill him.

Not him, per say. His alter-ego, Danny Phantom. When it came to the Phantom (or any ghost for that matter) Valerie shot first and asked questions later. Everything that had ectoplasm running through their veins was evil in Valerie's eyes. There was really nothing Danny could do about that, though. He'd tried so many times to explain to Valerie that he wasn't a bad guy, that he was just trying to help. But there was no getting through to her.

He knew that she liked him back. The pair had almost become an item not too long ago. Danny was prepared to give her his dad's old class ring and everything. But Valerie told him they couldn't be anything more than just friends. Why? Danny knew why. Because of Danny Phantom. Just another downside to his powers.

Danny was pulled away from his daze when he felt a sharp smack on the back of his head. "Ow!" he yelled, rubbing his head with his hand. He turned to see his best friend, Tucker Foley, smiling like the nerd he was. "You didn't have to do that," Danny said.

"Did too!" Tucker argued. The techno geek smirked. "You were drooling."

"No, I wasn't!" Danny exclaimed, but wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve just in case.

"Maybe not, but you were about to start," Tucker said. "You thinking about who I think you're thinking about?"

"Depends. Who do you think I'm thinking about?" Danny asked, tapping a pen on his desk.

"Valerie, maybe?" Tucker said.

Danny sighed in frustration. "Am I really that predictable?" he wondered.

Tucker nodded.

Danny sighed again. _Perfect,_ he thought. _Just don't let my enemies know that._ "I don't know why but I can't get her off my mind," he explained to his friend.

"You talking about Valerie?" Danny's other friend, Sam, asked, quickly diving into the conversation.

"Oh come on!" Danny exclaimed.

The bell rang and the students leapt up from their seats, making a bee-line for the door. Danny, Sam and Tucker took a bit longer than the others to empty out of the room. "Glad that's over," Sam remarked, as the trio headed to the door.

"Tell me about it," Danny mumbled. "I'm just glad Mr. Lancer finally shut up."

"Mr. Fenton," came an all too familiar voice from behind him. Danny turned hesitantly to face his biology teacher, Mr. Lancer. The out-of-shape teacher was glaring at him with a look that could kill. "If you're going to talk about me behind my back, kindly do it when I'm not in the same room."

Danny laughed nervously. "Yeah, sorry, Mr. L," he apologized. "It won't happen again."

"I'd think not," Mr. Lancer said.

Before the teacher could say anything more, Danny and his friends turned around and ran out of the classroom as fast as possible. "Well, that was smooth," Sam chided, sarcastically. "I'm surprised you didn't get detention."

"You're not the only one," Danny said. "I've been getting up to my neck in trouble, lately. My parents are getting suspicious, even."

"That's never a good thing," Tucker said.

"Duh," Sam said. "What part of the phrase 'professional ghost hunters' don't you get?"

Tucker only crossed his arms and scoffed.

"Hey, you guys are coming to my poetry slam at Skulk and Lurk tonight, right?" Sam asked the boys as they rounded a corner.

"We said we'd be there, didn't we?" Danny said.

"I know," Sam said. "I was just making sure you didn't make….other plans."

"'Other plans' as in…?" Danny asked.

"As in Valerie related ones," Tucker butted in.

"Shut up, Tucker," Sam said, very annoyed.

"Sam, I promised I'd go and I am going. Don't worry!" Danny reassured his friend.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked. She wasn't so sure. Lately, she and Tucker weren't Danny's main focus. It was always Valerie this, and Valerie that. It was only reasonable for her to doubt her friend.

"Yes, Sam," Danny said. "I won't miss it."

She sighed. _He'd better not,_ she thought. She was finally able to come up with a decent poem to read and she wanted Danny and Tucker to be there. She knew they wouldn't fit in with all the other Goths in the bookstore, but she didn't really mind. They were her best friends and she could care less if they were Goth or not. She just wanted them there. The threesome always seemed to be doing the things the guys liked to do. Going to action movies, going bowling. She should be able to choose what they do once in a while, right?

"Ok," she said. "I'm counting on you."

"You can. Trust me," Danny said.

"Yeah, Sam. He and Valerie won't be making-out or anything. Just relax," Tucker commented, smugly.

Sam gave him a dirty look. Tucker was yet again implying that Sam was jealous of Valerie because of all the attention Danny was giving her. And the truth was: Sam was jealous. Sam had been vying for Danny's attention long before Valerie came into the picture. She was the one who was in love with Danny. Why did Valerie catch his eye? She didn't even know. The whole thing was just frustrating. And when Tucker brought it up like that, it made her want to kill him. Kill him, bring him back to life and then kill him again.

Tucker took the death-glare as a sign to shut-up and did so. _What's it going to take?_ Sam thought, even after Tucker buttoned his trap. _What do I have to do? Who do I have to be to get him to think about me as much as he thinks about Valerie? Why is it so hard?_

Suddenly, a faint whisper interrupted Sam's thoughts. "_The darker side…_" she heard a chilling voice echoing in her mind. "Who said that?" she asked her friends as they stopped at Danny's locker before going to lunch.

Danny looked at her in confusion. "Who said what?" he asked.

"Someone whispered something like, 'The darker side…' or something like that. Who said that?" she asked again.

Tucker shook his head. "No one said anything, Sam," he told her.

"Oh," she said. She was sure she had heard someone… or something whispering. But it seemed that neither Danny nor Tucker had heard it. "Well… it was probably just my ears playing tricks on me."

Danny and Tucker shrugged it off but Sam's mind stayed rooted on it. _I swear I heard someone say that,_ she thought. _And the weird thing is…_

_…That voice sounded familiar._


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hello! A whole five reviews for Chapter One! I'm happy! (Hugs herself) lol. Well, thanks to those who reviewed. I didn't know there was such a high demand for Freakshow stories! Good thing I'm here, right? (Silence) Yeah, well, same to you! lol! Just kidding! Anyway, here we go with Chapter Two! (To all you D/V shippers out there, this chapter is nothing BUT D/V! Hee hee.) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or any of the characters. Wait! Maybe if I wish reeeeeelly hard, I will! (Closes eyes and opens them) Darn it! Still don't!**

**Chapter Two**

Valerie didn't know how she could feel so much hate and so much love all at once. She'd never experienced anything like what she was experiencing right now. All because of two boys…well, one boy and a ghost boy.

For a while now, Valerie had been in love with a boy in her class: Danny Fenton. There was so much about him that she liked. He was kind and smart. He had a great sense of humor. Not to mention, he was handsome. During the past year or so, he had bulked up considerably, as well. He was still skinny, but not a wimp. He was Valerie's perfect guy. And he liked Valerie back. So why weren't they together?

Because of her enemy. Her ghostly enemy, Danny Phantom. It was because of that ghost that their relationship was put aside. The ghost boy had threatened Valerie's life many times over. She didn't think that the issue between the two of them would escalate to this: having Valerie fear for _Danny's_ life as well as hers, therefore rejecting the prospect of them ever dating. The situation made her even more furious at the Phantom, just when she thought that couldn't be possible.

Now, because she knew they could never be, she thought about him even more and wanted to be with him even more. Trying to keep her mind off him worked in reverse effect. She just wanted to kill the Phantom and run into Danny's arms, not having to worry any more.

_God, do I wish it were that easy,_ she thought, as she left her last hour class. Phantom had proved too difficult to defeat, however. It had been a little over a year since she had started her hunt on him, and every time she thought that today was the day he would go down, he got away. She had stopped expecting great things until she got into a fight and he started to lose. Even then, though, he'd weasel his way out of the fight. _What a coward,_ she thought, reaching her locker and spinning her combination.

Valerie didn't want to give up hope on her and Danny yet. She had told Danny that they could still be friends, and they both hung out together at lunch, much to Danny's other friends' dismay. That was the one thing she looked forward to every day, and after that, everything else seemed so pointless. Unless the Phantom showed up. That was an exception.

_When is this going to end?_ She wondered.

"Hey," she heard a voice from behind her.

Valerie whipped around. And there he was. Danny was standing in the archway of one of the hallway entries, arms crossed. There was no one else in the hall, so Valerie saw him right away. His blue eyes flashed wildly and his black hair was even more unruly today. Valerie didn't really care though. She liked the way his hair seemed to fly every which way. It was cute. His smile was amazing, as well.

"Hey," she said back, smiling and closing her locker.

Danny walked toward her. "How was last hour?" he asked, stopping right next to her locker.

"Nothing important," Valerie answered, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Yours?"

"Same," he replied. He scratched the back of his head. Valerie had noticed he did that a lot when he was around her. It was a nervous trait, she figured. She blushed at the thought of a boy, especially this boy, actually getting nervous around her. "Mr. Lancer just kept going on and on and on about the Krebs's Cycle or…something," he told her.

Valerie gave a quick laugh. "Doesn't sound like the most riveting class of the day," she commented.

"It wasn't," Danny said with a smile.

She smiled too. He was so easy to be around. With him, Valerie didn't have to be popular for him to notice her, like she had to be with everyone else at school. She just had to be…her. She didn't have to pretend.

She liked not having to pretend.

She liked it a lot.

"You want to do something tonight?" she asked before her head could tell her not to. _What am I doing?_ She asked herself. Valerie couldn't _do_ something with Danny! What about Phantom? What about protecting the man she, dare she say it, loved? What was wrong with her?

Danny looked just as confused as she was. "Do something with you?" he asked, one eyebrow furrowed in befuddlement.

"Uh…" Valerie stammered. Well, it was too late to retract her statement now. "Yeah. You know. Do something together. As…friends…or…more than…friends…."

"So you're asking me out on a date?" Danny wondered.

He was catching her drift. _No!_ Valerie's thoughts screamed at her. _You can't! The Phantom will use him against you and you know it! Tell him to forget about it!_ "You know, I wasn't thinking straight for a minute there, Danny," Valerie said, painfully. "I don't think we should do anything. I'm sorry."

Danny nodded, his hope fading. "Yeah, just as well. I promised Sam I'd…." he trailed off when he saw how fallen Valerie's face went at the mention of Sam's name. Valerie heard things. A lot of people heard things and Valerie was one of those people. One of the things she heard was that as soon as Valerie gave Danny the "let's just be friends" speech, he went ahead and started dating Sam Manson. Danny had explained countless times that they were only really good friends, but ever since then, Valerie was slightly crestfallen whenever he brought the Goth girl up. "Well, I promised and Tucker did, too. It wasn't just me. It's just…you know…we…she…" he stuttered shakily.

"It's ok," she reassured her friend. "You don't have to apologize. I know you guys are friends. And plus, I'm not going to prevent you from dating anyone else. You'll never get married then… at least if things don't start shaping up."

"You know," Danny said, after a pause. "You never did tell me why it was so dangerous for us to be together. I mean, we've been eating lunch together for a while and I'm still in one piece," He looked her straight in the eye. "Why…why is it so bad?"

Valerie wanted to tell him, she really did. But how could she? He might not see her like he did right now. And if that happened…it would be yet another reason to hate the Phantom…

…And another reason to kill him more.

"I wish I could say, Danny," Valerie said. "I really do. But I can't."

"Look, I know you think you can't tell me, but I'm your friend." Danny said. "Friends don't hide things from other friends. Or so I've heard. How can we even be friends if we don't trust each other enough to know why we have to be friends and not be together?"

Valerie stared at him in confusion. "What?" she asked.

"Well…ah. You know what I'm getting at," he said. "I don't think some things should be kept secret between us."

"I trust you, Danny," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's other people who are the ones I don't trust."

The boy sighed. "Yeah, ok," he said, giving up the battle. "I just wish I could know."

"It's better if you didn't," she told him. For a moment, she felt like she should kiss him. Not just that she wanted to kiss him, but like she _should_ kiss him. Like she _needed_ to kiss him. She hadn't done that yet. Not on the lips, anyway. And she _needed _ to. The feeling would drive her crazy sooner or later if she didn't.

But she resisted the need. She slowly lowered her hand from his shoulder. Once it fell limply by her side, she faced the ground and turned around, heading down the hall.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Danny called after her.

Valerie turned back around. He was standing in the same spot, looking dead serious. "Sure," she replied.

"What if we were a couple only at school?" he wondered.

Valerie looked at him strangely. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, whatever it is that's putting me in danger seems to be something non-school related. So what if we just went out at school and just, you know, talked online when we were at home?" Danny explained.

It actually wasn't a bad thought. Valerie could see that happening. And successfully, too. The two could hold hands, eat lunch together. They had a couple of classes together, as well. Going out just at school might work.

But, come on! They wouldn't even be able to go on a date!

Not to mention, what if the Phantom spied on them some how? He could turn invisible, couldn't he? That was the ultimate ability when it came to spying on your enemies.

But still. The idea was irresistible.

"I don't know, Danny," Valerie said, even though she wanted to yell, "YES!"

"Can you at least consider the idea?" Danny asked.

She looked at him hesitantly.

"Please?" he pleaded.

She sighed. "I'll consider it," she agreed.

"Really?" Danny asked, just making sure he hadn't been Punk'd or something.

Valerie nodded.

He smiled bigger than she had ever seen him smile before. "Cool," he said, obviously satisfied. "That's good. And I'll be more careful, too. I'll stop going down dark alleys late at night and I won't talk to strangers any more."

She laughed. "Funny," she said, turning back around.

Valerie was suddenly falling backwards. Something under her foot had caused her to slip and there was no way she was able to catch herself. She only yelped as she flew backward toward the hard, tiled floor and braced for impact.

Before she hit, though, she stopped in mid-air. She felt someone's arm across her back, holding her up. She looked up and there he was. Her knight in shining armor. And holding her up off the floor didn't seem to bother Danny one bit. Valerie was just thankful he was quick enough and strong enough.

"So, you'll consider?" he asked again, still holding her.

She smiled. "I'll consider," she answered.

Although, with the way he was holding her right then, she didn't even have to think twice about her answer.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey everyone! Ok, why can't everyone review "The Ultimate Consequence" like they are this one?! I'm getting MUY MUCHO reviews on this one and for "TUC" I'm getting muy poco reviews!!!!!!!!! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!? lol. jk. But guys, these reviews are great!!!! Keep sending them and review my other story!!!!!!!!! That one is in desperate need!!!!!! I'm probably going to update it tomorrow. **

**Anyway, thanks again to everyone who reviewed! Here's Chapter Three!!!!**

**Disclaimer: The song used in this chapter is called "Notice Me" from the DCOM "Pixel Perfect".**

**Chapter Three**

_Here's the story of a girl._

_Living in a lonely world._

_Why did this song come on? _Sam wondered, as she lay on her bed. _Why at such a perfect time?_

Danny had gone to find Valerie after school, leaving her and Tucker to walk home by themselves. Sam's already heated fury flared even more after this. As if thinking about her constantly and eating lunch with her wasn't enough, but he had to give up time he devoted to his friends to see her. It made Sam want to puke, how love-struck he was. Not to mention how quickly he had fallen for her. Sam had known Danny for eight years and the only time Danny had fallen for _her_ was last year when he was under the spell of a ghost, Ember. His love wasn't real. At least Sam didn't think so.

The fact that Danny was so clueless to her own affections frustrated her more than anything she'd ever had to deal with. Everyone else seemed to know how she felt about him…except him. Tucker told her not to worry about it, that someday he'd take a look around and figure it out. But even if he did, Sam wasn't sure if he'd return her affection. She just hated the whole situation.

_A hidden note,_

_A secret crush._

_A little boy who talks too much._

And now this song was playing in such a coincidental way, it was making her even more sick about this whole thing. _This isn't even my station that I listen to! _she thought. _Why aren't I turning it?_

_And I'm standing in the crowd._

_And when you smile, I check you out._

_But you don't even know my name._

_You're too busy playing games._

Maybe she should just tell him how she felt. Her secrets would stop nibbling on her insides, Tucker would stop bugging her about it, and maybe, just maybe, Danny might return the feeling.

Yeah. Right.

But still. It would be good for her to unload. Even if it ruined their friendship. _Actually I'd take mental anguish over friendship homicide any day,_ Sam thought.

But she knew that one day, Valerie would find out Danny's secret. And she'd either kill him, or she'd accept him and then…it would be too late.

_Oh, don't get me wrong._

_You better make your move,_

_Before the moment's gone._

_Ok, this song can shut up any time now,_ Sam thought.

Rolling over on her stomach, she checked her clock by her bed. It was about a half hour to six. The slam started at six. _I'd better get going,_ Sam thought. She leaped off her bed and trotted over to her radio. But before she turned it off, she listened to the chorus of the annoying song.

_If I cut my hair,_

_If I change my clothes,_

_Will you notice me?_

_If I bite my lip,_

_If I say "Hello",_

_Will you notice me?_

_What's it gonna take for you to see?_

_To get you to notice me?_

"Girl," Sam muttered to the singer on the radio as she switched it off. "You're too desperate." No way would she change to get Danny to like her. Although, she was pretty sure the only way he would like her was if she looked like Valerie. And Valerie was no Goth. _Perfect,_ she thought.

_Just keep your mind off it,_ she told herself as she walked out of her room and down the stairs. _He's coming tonight. Just be happy about that._

"Where do you think you're going?"

Sam turned around. She had grabbed her coat and was about to walk out the front door. But her mother's voice held her back. _Oh yay!_ Sam thought sarcastically. _Just what I need right now: My mother being the she-witch from hell, as usual._

"Out," Sam said, answering her mother's question.

Her mother was sitting on the couch in the living room, reading a book. Her orange-red hair, pinned back neatly was a major contrast to the scowl she was giving her daughter. _How can someone look so bright and so angry all at the same time?_ Sam wondered.

"Out where?" her mother asked.

Sam sighed. "The bookstore," she replied. "There was…a book I had on hold and I have to go pick it up." Sam didn't mind lying. It had become second nature to her since high school started. Aside from keeping the secret of Danny's alter-ego, she had to keep any _mention _of Danny secret, as well. Her mother and father disapproved of Danny more than anything they disapproved of. Why? They were under the impression that Danny was a "bad influence" or whatever. _Ok, _I'm _the Goth and _Danny's _the bad influence?_ She had always wondered. But parents and daughter had had too many arguments over the issue before, and Sam concluded that not bring the boy up was the easiest way out of another spat.

"Are you telling the truth, Sam?" her mother asked, getting up off the couch and walking toward her.

_And if I'm not?_ Sam wanted to say. But instead she said, "Yes."

"I don't think you are," her mother said. "You're going to be with that _boy_ again, aren't you?"

That was the bad thing about Sam lying so often: her mom was starting to catch on.

"No!" Sam yelled. "God! Does everything I do have to be about Danny?"

"You would like it to be like that," her mother said, not as a question but as a statement. "I know you want him to see you as more than a friend, Samantha. But I am telling you as your mother that getting into a relationship with…with that boy-"

"That 'boy's' name is Danny," Sam shouted. "And I _do_ have a relationship with him. Maybe not a romantic one, but one, all the same. And what if I do have a romantic relationship with him? I'll regret it?"

Her mother only looked at her, face tense and full of aggravation.

"He's a better man than you think he is," Sam told her. "Better than you'll ever know. And I'm not going to let you tell me otherwise."

Sam grabbed the doorknob and flung the door open. "That boy will be the end of you, Samantha Manson! Do you-." But before she could say anything else, Sam had closed the door behind her and was running down the street at light speed.

Danny was a hero. He'd saved countless lives, including Sam's, several times. And since Sam couldn't tell her parents who he really was, they would continue to think the worst of him. Yet another frustration added to her already full plate.

_Just take your mind off of it,_ she told herself. _You're going to enjoy yourself tonight._

Little did she know, enjoying herself was just about the last thing she'd do that night.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: OMG!!!!!!! Thank you all for the reviews!!!!!!!! I love it when I get reviews! And I've been getting more on "The Ultimate Consequence" too! THANK YOU!!!!!!!! (grabs everyone in a headlock). Hee hee! Well, keep the reviews a-comin'! If you do, I will love you all forever! Thanks again!!!!!!!!**

**Chapter Four**

"Whatcha doing?" Danny's sister, Jazz, asked, walking into the kitchen.

Danny was at the kitchen table, doing homework. Although, it was a bit difficult to concentrate. Tomorrow, he and Valerie might take their relationship to the next level. How could he focus on homework? But he had to get it done before the slam he'd promised Sam he'd go to. Otherwise, his parents wouldn't let him go. Earlier, he had asked and they were a bit hesitant to allow him to go. It was a _Goth_ poetry slam, after all. But they allowed him, as long as his homework was done.

"Homework," Danny replied, filling in an algebra problem.

Jazz sat down next to him, looking over his shoulder. Jazz was one of the most intelligent people Danny had ever met. Sometimes that was a good thing. Sometimes…not. Like now for instance. If he made a mistake, Jazz would point it out, correct it, tell him what he did wrong, and go into an hour-long speech about how he should pay more attention to his work. But the good thing about that was that Danny knew he'd get an A on his assignments that way.

"Mom and Dad said you're going to some Goth thing," Jazz said.

Danny nodded, still trying to focus on his assignment and not the other five million distractions jumping around in his mind.

"With Sam?" Jazz asked.

Danny nodded.

"And Tucker?" she asked.

He nodded.

Jazz appeared a bit crestfallen. "Oh," she said. "Okay. That's…cool."

"Mmhmm," Danny hummed in response.

There was a pause as Danny scratched an answer on his paper. "Are you sure Tucker's going?" Jazz asked.

Danny looked up at her. Why was she so concerned about Tucker going? "Yeah, he is," Danny answered.

"Well…what if Sam just said he was going but he really isn't?" Jazz wondered.

Danny sighed with frustration. "Jazz, Tucker told me he was going. So…he is," he told her.

"Do you want him to?" she asked.

Danny looked back at her again. "What?" he wondered. "Of course I do. He's my best friend."

"Well, don't you ever wish it was just…you know…" she couldn't seem to find the words to what she was saying. "Like instead of Danny, Sam, and Tucker, don't you wish it was…just Danny and Sam?"

Danny cocked an eyebrow. "You have something against Tucker?" he asked.

"No! Of course not!" Jazz said. "But…maybe you should have a little more alone time with Sam, you know?"

"Why's that?" Danny asked.

"I just think you've been ignoring her lately," Jazz explained.

"Ignoring her?" Danny yelled. "I'm going to her slam tonight. How is that ignoring her?"

"Well, compared to all the attention you've been giving this Valerie girl-," Jazz began.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up. How do you know about Valerie?" Danny asked.

"I've met her before, Danny," Jazz said.

"No. I know you've met her, but how do you know I …you know…like her?" he asked.

"I hear things," Jazz simply said.

"Sam told you, didn't she?" Danny asked.

"No," she replied, but he could see right through her. She wasn't a good liar in the least bit.

"Jazz," he said.

"Yeah, she did," Jazz said, with a sigh.

"Since when have you two been talking?" he asked.

"Well we haven't been formally 'talking' but just casually from time to time," Jazz explained.

"And you've never told me about this?" Danny asked.

"No. I didn't tell you because Sam tells me things in confidence, and if I told you we talked, your curiosity would get the better of you and you'd find out things that Sam doesn't want you to know about," Jazz said, getting a bit frantic.

"Sam's my best friend. If she can talk to you about it, she can talk to me," Danny said, setting his homework aside.

"You'd be surprised," she answered.

"I don't get it," Danny said. "What's so secret with her? Why can't I know?"

"Danny, I-,"

"No, Jazz!" Danny yelled, jumping up and smacking the table. "I don't want her to keep things from me. I didn't keep my secret from her."

"That's only because she was there when your accident happened ans you couldn't really hide it. If she hadn't seen, you would have kept it from her. You kept it from me and you're still keeping it from Mom and Dad," Jazz explained.

"That's not true," Danny argued. "For one thing, I didn't tell you, Mom and Dad because I didn't know how you'd react. Sam and Tucker are my friends and they accept me for who I am."

"You're family does, too," Jazz said.

"All the same," Danny said, trying to keep the topic on Sam. "If Sam's in trouble or something, I want to know. I might be able to help her."

Jazz just looked at Danny, sadly. "Danny," she said. "I can't."

"Jazz-,"

"She's not in trouble or anything. If she were, I would have told you in a heartbeat. It's important, though. And that's why I don't want to tell you…she should," Jazz said.

Danny wanted to know, though. He didn't want to wait. He cursed his natural curiosity and lack of paitience. "Jazz…" he said.

"I'm sorry," she said. Jazz got up from the table, looked aplolgetically at her brother, and walked out of the room.

Danny just stood there, thinking of all possible things Sam could be keeping from him. Was she sick? Was she being stalked? Was she doing something harmful to herself? No. Jazz said she would tell him if there was something wrong with her. It couldn't be any of those. Did she not want to hang out with him and Tucker any more? No. Sam wasn't one to repress frustration with her friends. She would have told them if she was getting sick of them. Danny thought and thought but he couldn't seem to wrap his mind around a decent theory. _What could it be?_ He thought.

His thought were interrupted by a thin, blue mist coming from his mouth, almost as if the room temperature had dropped fifty degrees. A ghost was around. And that was never a good thing. Danny looked around for the spectral being until he heard a faint tapping behind him. He turned around and saw the source of the noise.

A small, green ghost bat was knocking against the glass, repeatedly. Danny assumed it was just a stupid little creature who couldn't tell there was a pane of glass blocking his way in, no matter how many times he hit against it.

But then Danny recognized it.

He'd seen it before.

It wasn't just a stupid ghost bat.

It was a tattoo of a ghost bat.

It belonged to the only ghost with live tattoos he could think of.

Lydia.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Alright! Finally! The stupid thing wouldn't upload yesterday and ticked me off! I hear that's been happening a lot lately. Anyway... This is going well! Thanks for all the reviews! (pause) Jeez! My AN's keep getting shorter. I guess I just don't have a lot to say. Lol! Anyway, Chapter Five!!!!**

**Chapter Five**

"Tucker, over here!" Sam yelled to her friend as she saw him walk through the door to the bookshop. She had already picked a table for her, Tucker and Danny and was waiting for them to arrive.

Tucker caught sight of his friend and made a beeline to her. She was wearing a black top with netted sleeves and silver sequins on the front in a sideways, rounded z-shape. He was pretty sure it was a band symbol or something. (AN: I wasn't very good at describing it, but I'll give a virtual cookie to whoever can guess what band it is!) "Hey," he said, once he reached the table. "Sorry I'm a little late."

"You're late?" Sam asked, pulling up a chair for him.

"Not by long," Tucker said, sitting down. "Ten, fifteen minutes or so."

"Oh," Sam said. "Well, they haven't started yet. Besides, I'm not on for a while yet."

Tucker nodded. He looked around the bleak shop. The room was dimly lit, with nothing but a couple of candles. Most of the interior was black. Tucker was getting depressed just looking around the place.

"Have you heard from Danny at all?" Tucker asked. Still keeping a wandering eye on the scene around him.

Sam's face fell. "I was hoping you had, actually," she explained.

Tucker looked back at his friend. "Really?" he asked. Danny would usually call ahead if he were going to be late. "Well, he might be caught up doing you-know-what."

"Making out with Valerie?" Sam said.

"Sam…"

"I'm just kidding!" she exclaimed.

Tucker only shook his head but Sam was beginning to doubt her distracted half-ghost friend. Lately, she didn't know whether to believe in him or not. And right now, it was not. Where could he have been?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny sprinted out the front door in ghost mode. In his human form, Danny had thick black hair and bright, blue eyes. In ghost form, however, his black hair turned snow white and his blue eyes glowed an eerie green. His pale skin gave off an aura, just like any other ghost. Whatever he was wearing was automatically switched to a black jumpsuit with silver boots and gloves. On the chest of the suit, a small P inside of a D served as an emblem of sorts. With a flicker of light, Danny Fenton changed into Danny Phantom. Now outside, Danny's green eyes scanned his surroundings. The little bat had disappeared. _Where did you go?_ Danny thought, looking for the annoying little specter.

The blue mist escaped from his mouth again and before Danny could think another thought, he was slammed into the ground, back first. Looking up at the sky, he saw a green blur come straight at him and he rolled off to the side quickly, hearing the sound of ghostly flesh hitting concrete. Danny saw indeed that the figure that came at him was Lydia, the assistant of one of Danny's old foes, Freakshow. Freakshow was not a ghost himself, but longed to be one. Since he wasn't a ghost, he settled on making ghosts his slaves. Lydia was the only ghost that stayed by his side voluntarily after Danny had shattered Freakshow's mind controlling crystal ball. So Danny knew that whatever Lydia wanted, it wasn't good.

Lydia stood back up quickly. Ghosts didn't get hurt as easily as humans did. So where a normal person or even Danny would have had to take a minute or two to recover, Lydia jumped up almost instantaneously. Lydia had pale green skin that glowed as Danny's did, glaring red eyes, and several long spikes protruding from her bald scalp. She wore a black leather leotard and a long red cape with a hood on the back. Running up and down her arms and legs were several tattoos of animals. Like the bat tattoo, those tattoos could come to life and wreak as much havoc as any other ghost, causing even more problems for Danny.

"What do you want, Lydia?" Danny asked, getting right down to the issue at hand.

Danny only realized after he said that that he was being stupid. Lydia never spoke, and so when she came at him as a response, it didn't surprise him. He bolted upward and flew into the sky, dodging her attack.

_Sam's going to murder me,_ he thought.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm going to murder him."

Sam was getting disgruntled and fast. It had been forty-five minutes since he was supposed to be there, and Danny was still MIA. Tucker kept dishing out the reassurances ("It's alright. He'll be here." "He probably got caught up with something. He'll be here soon." "Valerie wouldn't even let him do that! That's gross!"). But nothing was cooling her fury. The first five poets had come and gone and Sam's turn was approaching. "Where the heck is he?" she snarled to herself.

"Maybe we should call him," Tucker suggested, more worried than angry.

Sam nodded and the pair stood up as one of the poets continued speaking about a gloomy night of death or something. They slipped to the front entrance, out of earshot of the audience and Tucker took out his phone to call Danny.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lydia threw a punch and hit Danny square in the nose. Danny was just glad his nose didn't start bleeding. Human blood was gross, but ghost blood was just down-right disgusting. It was ectoplasm, a thick green liquid that looked more like discolored jelly than anything. It ran through Danny's veins just like any other ghost, yet he still hated the sight of it.

A cluster of tattoos leapt from Lydia's arms and lunged at Danny. A couple grabbed a hold of his wrists and another few latched onto his ankles and began dragging him down to the ground. He tried breaking free of their grasp, but they were stronger than they looked. Danny was too focused on breaking free of them to notice a bat tattoo looping itself into a noose, hanging off a flag pole on a nearby building. The tattoo brought Danny closer and closer to the noose and when Danny finally noticed what was going on, the tattoos let go of him and let him fall, instantly choking him. Danny clawed at the noose around his neck, gasping for air. He should have been paying attention. But he only spent a moment scolding himself for being an idiot before he took a handful of ecto-energy and sliced the rope that was holding onto the flag pole.

He clattered to the ground, yanking the noose over his head clumsily. Once free of the rope, he gasped loudly, coughing and sputtering, trying to regain his normal breathing pattern. Just as he did so, however, his phone on his belt rang. _Oh, wonderful timing,_ he thought, sarcastically. Still on his hands and knees, he took the phone off his belt and checked the caller I.D. It was Tucker, probably wondering where he was. Danny balanced on his elbow and flipped the phone open. "Tuck, this a really bad time," he rasped, his throat terribly sore and barely able to manage a whisper.

"Danny, where the heck are you?" he heard Sam's voice say on the other end.

"Sam?" he wondered.

Something hard knocked against the back of Danny's head and he collapsed to the concrete, dropping the phone. He was too sore to move, but he saw Lydia's tattooed hand reach down and pickup the phone. Danny heard her speak for the first time. "Sam, he'll have to call you back. We're in the middle of something." Danny raised his head off the ground.

She sounded just like Valerie.

_This can't be good,_ Danny thought as Lydia closed the phone, threw it to the ground and drove one of her high heels through the sleek cell. Danny hardly cared about his phone, though. "What's going on?" he asked, staggering to his feet.

The ghost only smiled as her tattoos flew off her limbs and circled around her. In a flash of light, Lydia was gone, leaving the half-ghost to contemplate what had just happened. _I can only imagine what Sam's going to say when I show up, _he thought.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sam slammed Tucker's phone shut. She looked at him, smugly yet with anger. "What did I tell you?" she said.


End file.
